A small dragon, no larger than a forearm and scaled in gold and white flew above a yellow river. A young boy at the cusp of adulthood sat on the banks, staring up intently as he listened to the dragon’s instruction.

  “Qi is the energy of Heaven and Earth, and is born through their interplay. In the stirring of life and the blooming of flowers, in the shifting of winds and left behind in the wake of a river’s flow. The very movement of the celestial bodies themselves is enough to stir it into existence.”

  Xiao Huang paused, letting the words settle before continuing on. “The Heavens move without moving, their methods are effortless. A river flows without impetus, expending nothing and generating energy while mortals consume themselves just to take a single step forward.”

  The dragon’s eyes bored into Yu Chen’s.

  “We strive for immortality in pursuit of Heavens that are timeless and eternal, the very Heavens that teach us to do more, with less.”

  A flick of Xiao Huang’s tail sent the river twisting upwards in a plume of water. Yu Chen blinked, watching in awe as amber droplets sprayed through the air, sparkling in the light of the sun. They began showering down around him right as the dragon flicked another claw, sending a second spout roaring up as well. The two spouts twisted as he spun his claw in a lazy circle, bending them over to meet the river again.

  “First,” he said, two thick strands of water roiling in motion as they arched behind his back. “You must externalize your qi, infusing it into the environment around you.”

  Yu Chen nodded, letting out a breath. Qi leapt from his dantian as he did, flooding through his body and expanding out into the world in an instant. It flowed through his entire body with equal ease, shooting out from not only his hand but his head, his back, his neck, his knees.

  The world came alive as his qi suffused the environment. It was almost like touching it, but not quite the same. It wasn’t a tactile sensation, not exactly. Just the hazy idea of the totality of something, without detailed information like its size and its shape.

  Until he touched the river.

  It had texture, and depth. It wasn’t empty–his new sense delivered a riot of information to him, a variety of Concepts, ideas about what it was. He could feel Water as something real within his thoughts, larger by far than any of the dozens of other aspects making up this thing called a River. There was Death as well, and something he assumed to be Life. The others were faint, little more than murmurs echoing in the back of his mind. Some weren’t even that, and he could only sense that there was something he couldn’t hear.

  And they were everywhere. His eyes widened. He could sense the ground around him, as real as anything else within his mind. Earth called out to him, and trace amounts of the Metal within it, faint, nearly drowned out, but a familiar voice amongst a crowd.

  He could sense so much of the world, like he never had before.

  Xiao Huang had stopped speaking, a grave expression crossing his face as he watched the boy’s expression turn distant. It was rare for someone as young as he was to have experienced a Concept, let alone as many as he had. There were few in Foundation Establishment who had even touched one, and no one seriously pursued it until they reached Golden Core.

  It was almost impossible before you could use your qi to explore the world around you.

  But Yu Chen had bathed in a spiritual pond and meditated in a cavern filled with a fiery qi. He’d watched death form, and immersed himself in the waters of the yellow river, using them to power his breakthrough. Only the faintest touch, but well before his time. That understanding gave him a foundation to build from, allowing him to begin understanding things far beyond his ken.

  Yu Chen breathed out, opening his eyes.

  “Hatchling,” Xiao Huang rumbled, “You can feel the river, can’t you?”

  Yu Chen nodded, still half lost in thought.

  “Good, then listen.” Xiao Huang spun through the air before halting, opening his mouth and beginning to pontificate.

  “Qi can be used in many ways, but when we speak, we speak of two ways. The first is in the manner of the heavens,” Xiao Huang twisted his right claw. Nothing happened at first, but Yu Chen watched as a seed of glowing blue water appeared out of nowhere before rapidly growing into a solid sphere roiling with turbulent energy. “Unfettered creation. Qi can take any form we imagine. It can manifest as spears of fire and daggers of ice, it can grow into plants and breathe life into simulacrums.”

  The river shimmered as he gestured with his other forelimb. Drops of yellow water rose up, floating through the air to form into a second sphere right above his left talon. “The second is in the manner of earth. We use it this way when we emulate nature, and when we empower it, shifting the natural world to move the winds and waters and sunder the land.”

  Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

  Yu Chen’s eyes shone. Giving the dragon above him a serious nod.

  “For now, we will focus on influencing the world. Your qi is an extension of yourself, once you’ve suffused it through the river you’ll be able to use your will to direct the river’s flow.”

  Yu Chen nodded, turning his attention from the dragon to the river in front of him. He breathed in, concentrating deeply as he attempted to move the river. His first attempts were laughable. It was easy enough to push his energy into the environment, but he soon realized he barely knew how to control it, let alone the river. He gritted his teeth and went to work.

  Days passed, one after another.

  Yu Chen sat cross-legged, eyes closed in deep contemplation. The noise of the river burbled away in the background, combining with the soft sound of long grasses brushing against themselves as they swayed in the wind. It formed a pastoral scene of relaxed meditation. There was another scene though, if one could open their third eye and see as cultivators did.

  Yu Chen’s mind was focused, commanding powerful currents of spiritual energy as they swept through the air. Rising in waves, spiraling, contracting and expanding. He’d send it soaring as high as he could, tasting the sky, before darting down, filtering through rocks and flooding into the river.

  It moved through all things, transient, existent and yet not, occupying a space between space. The only thing it couldn’t penetrate was the boundaries of living beings, creations of pure energy and the occasional artifact, heavily suffused with qi of its own. A soft rule, according to Xiao Huang. Anything was possible for those who were strong enough and possessed qi that was dense enough.

  Despite all of his practice Yu Chen still hadn’t managed to move the river a single inch. He’d tried pulling on it but it just slipped through his grasp, fluid, elusive. He’d also tried pushing, for all the good that did him. Over time he’d narrowed his focus, no longer scattering his energy about but keeping it tightly contained to the river instead.

  He practiced day after day, whirling his qi through the river as he tried to bend it to his will. Xiao Huang watched it all, expressionless, beyond the occasional remark or snort of disdain. When he wasn’t busy napping or expounding on something or the other.

  Eventually however, even Yu Chen could take no more. His shoulders slumped; his qi grew lethargic. His mind unfocused from the task at hand as his fingers twitched before stilling. Xiao Huang watched, his gaze burning with intensity. Yu Chen breathed. In, then out. He sighed, opening his eyes and casting a listless gaze towards the river. His hand clenched into his robes, pressing hard against his leg.

  He bit his lip, feeling lost. Feeling his qi move on its own accord. Startled, he sat up, his eyes sharpening as he gazed into the river. No, not of its own accord. It was being pushed, pulled, dragged into patterns of the river’s design.

  He uncrossed his legs, hurrying as close to the river as he dared and kneeling into its muddy banks. Leaning forward he stared intently at the fluctuations in the river. Minutes passed, hours, as he watched his qi swept through a bewildering set of movements. Entranced, he did his best to sort through the madness, watching as an intricate dance emerged.

  Reaching out he joined in, flooding more qi into the water. He followed as the river swept him along into it, guiding him through the movements until, with the faltering steps of a newborn calf he took the lead. The next step in their dance was his all alone.

  A small wave swept across the surface of the river. Gentle, harmless. Not the least bit out of place.

  Seasons changed, coming and going as time passed on the river. His birthday came, and went, taking with it the last vestiges of boyishness he still possessed. His youthful frame began to thicken, filling out. He’d always been tall, broad-shouldered and long-limbed, larger than the others around him. But now he had a weight to him, a density that spoke of his first steps into manhood.

  Yu Chen stood on the banks of the river, flowing through the motions of the Diamond Forms. His movements and the rivers were intricately intertwined now. Tendrils of water spun around him, waves of water shooting forth with every punch and every kick.

  “Good,” Xiao Huang rumbled from up above. “Very good.”

  Yu Chen smiled at the praise, but he didn’t stop, flowing through movement after movement as he practiced the techniques the dragon had taught him. He never wanted it to end. He enjoyed these endless days, growing stronger as he listened to Xiao Huang expound on the ways of heaven and earth.

  But all good things must come to an end.

  A ripple passed through Yu Chen’s inner world as someone outside called his name. He'd known this day was coming. It was finally time to go. He turned, looking up towards Xiao Huang.

  “Go hatchling,” The dragon urged, a soft smile on his face. “Make me proud.”

  “Thank you Shizu.” Yu Chen said, bowing towards the dragon. He meant it. He’d grown tremendously in these last months, and it was all thanks to Xiao Huang’s guidance. “I’ll return as soon as I can.”

  The dragon nodded in reply before diving into the river with a splash. Yu Chen stared at the waters before closing his eyes. A moment later he blinked, opening them in the real world. From up above came noises of excitement, and from right outside of his door, a voice.

  “Yu Chen!” Xue Lan’s voice came, “Hurry, we’ve made it!”

  He smiled, listening to the sound of her footsteps disappearing before standing up. A swipe of his hand summoned his robes. He slipped them on, tightly lashing them around his waist before stepping out of the room.

  It was comforting, to feel the weight of something real beneath his feet once more. Everything in his inner realm had a dreamlike quality to it, though it wasn’t noticeable until he was back in reality. He blinked as he stepped onto the deck with the others, feeling the heat of the sun kissing his skin.

  The others were there already, lined up at the prow of the ship and chatting excitedly among themselves as they stared into the distance. Yan Ziqi and Sun Yuan, Serbo au Serbo and Xue Lan. They turned, greeting him warmly as he arrived and Yu Chen realized how much he’d missed them.

  “Look!” Sun Yuan said, smiling as he pointed into the distance.

  Yu Chen followed the finger, his eyes widening at the sight of the endless spiritual vessels filling the river around them. Countless people soared through the sky as well, heading towards the massive towers of jade and gold sprawling across the horizon.

  Yu Chen’s breath caught in his throat.

  Baixian, the city of cultivators.

  The Yellow River Saga Book II.

  The Yellow River Saga is complete. We’ve laid the foundation for Yu Chen to step into a broader world—one where mysteries run deeper, dangers grow sharper, and the waters ahead grow ever more turbulent.

  Turbulence, opens with the tournament arc in Baixian City, where Yu Chen will reunite with old friends, forge new rivalries, and experience a fated meeting that stirs the great powers of the world. Storm clouds gather on the horizon and the currents of fate surge, sweeping him towards a hidden realm and the secret sect awaiting him inside.

  Thank you for following Yu Chen's journey through Book II. I can't wait to share Book III, Turbulence, with you!

  It's currently the end of the semester for me, so I'm taking some time to study and prepare myself for finals. There will be a short hiatus, a week or perhaps two, as I prepare the coming story. I'll be posting occasional updates on Patreon, so if you want a sneak peek feel free to join me there! Otherwise, I'll see you all again shortly, as soon as this schoolwork settles down.

  Coming Soon ----